Special Teaching Formats during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Survey with Implications for a Crisis-Proof Education

Modern teaching formats have not been considered necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic with uncertain acceptance by students. The study’s aim was to describe and evaluate all measures undertaken for theoretical and practical knowledge/skill transfer, which included objective structured practical examinations (OSPEs) covering a communication skills training. The students’ performance in the OSPE as well as the theoretical knowledge level were assessed, of which the latter was compared with previous terms. In conservative dentistry and periodontology (4th and 5th year courses), theoretical teaching formats were provided online and completed by a multiple-choice test. Practical education continued without patients in small groups using the phantom-head, 3D printed teeth, and objective structured practical examinations (OSPEs) including communication skills training. Formats were evaluated by a questionnaire. The organization was rated as very good/good (88.6%), besides poor Internet connection (22.8%) and Zoom(®) (14.2%) causing problems. Lectures with audio were best approved (1.48), followed by practical videos (1.54), live stream lectures (1.81), treatment checklists (1.81), and virtual problem-based learning (2.1). Lectures such as .pdf files without audio, articles, or scripts were rated worse (2.15–2.30). Phantom-heads were considered the best substitute for patient treatment (59.5%), while additional methodical efforts for more realistic settings led to increased appraisal. However, students performed significantly worse in the multiple-choice test compared to the previous terms (p < 0.0001) and the OSPEs revealed deficits in the students’ communication skills. In the future, permanent available lectures with audio and efforts toward realistic treatment settings in the case of suspended patient treatment will be pursued.